Underwater pile hammer



Sept. 22, 1959 J. J. KUPKA UNDERWATER FILE HAMMER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 12, 1956 INVENTOR.

Sept. 22, 1959 r J. .1. KUPKA UNDERWATER PILE HAMMER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 12, 1956 INVENTOR. JZ/wv J fla /r0 United States Patent O UNDERWATER PILE HAMMER John J. Kupka, Gladstone, N.J., assignor to McKiernan- Terry Corporation, Harrison, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 12, 1956, Serial No. 627,811

9 Claims. (Cl. 61-76) The invention herein disclosed relates to power ham mers for driving piles, breaking rock and other such operations.

The general objects of the invention are to provide a hammer of this type, which will operate successfully under water and which will be thoroughly practical and eflicient in such underwater operations.

Special objects of the invention are to utilize the best features of approved hammers now in use and to in effect convert them to underwater operation.

Further special objects of the invention are to retain the full efiective use of approved type power hammer, equipped with special means for excluding and keeping it free of water.

Other special objects of the invention are to attain all these and other desirable results with a simple low cost construction, readily applicable to existing power hammers, modified to take such improvements more or less in the nature of an attachment.

Other desirable objects and the novel features of construction, combination and relation of parts through which the purposes of the invention are attained are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification, illustrate present commercial embodiments of the invention, but it will be appreciated that structure may be further modified and changed all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawings is a broken longitudinal sectional view of one of the new underwater hammers, showing the ram in the position about to strike the anvil block.

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on substantially the plane of line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken sectional view showing the ram in striking engagement with the anvil block.

Fig. 5 is a broken longitudinal sectional view on a larger scale, illustratingmodification of the hammer cylinder and lower head for submerged operation.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view on substantially the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 5, showing the intermediate packing carrying member between the end of the cylinder and the guide for the anvil block.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of this member on substantially the plane of line 8--8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a broken sectional view illustrating a form of the invention modified as a rock breaker.

The hammer illustrated in Fig. l, embodies features of the approved Compound Hammer disclosed in patent application Ser. No. 550,718, filed December 2, 1955, Patent No. 2,789,540, April 23, 1957, incorporating a cylinder made up of an upper head 15, upper cylinder 16, intermediate head 17, lower cylinder 18, and bottom head 19, locked together by tie rods 20, with the ram having a larger upper end portion 21, operating as a piston in the upper cylinder and a lower smaller guide portion 22,

operating in the lower cylinder.

The structure difiers practically from there on however, in that the anvil instead of being relatively free is closely guided in watertight relation at the end of the working cylinder and in that special means are provided:

to keep the anvil block clear of Water and to prevent water seepage or conflicting pressures interfering with the full free operation of the hammer.

Specifically the anvil block 62, is shown as a cylindrical member slidingly guided in cylindrical lower extension 23, of the working cylinder and extension lower head these secured to the main cylinder by the tie rods 20, shown in Fig. 2.

The anvil is sealed in this guiding extension of the; cylinder by upper and lower sets of compressible pack ings 25, 26, held between the lower head 24, and the gland or liner 27, in the upper end of the extension. A special feature of these packings is that they are spaced apart by a double bevel ring 28, having passages 27, therethrough, open at the inner ends to an annular channel 30, and in communication at the outer ends with a surrounding annular groove 31, to which pressure fluid is supplied by way of a passage 32 and flexible hose 33, extending from a suitable pressure source above water level.

' The pressure fluid may be compressed air used for operation of the hammer, with pressure in excess of the hydrostatic pressure acting on the submerged hammer. This pressure applied at the gland between the packings is efiective to prevent any leakage of water up from the,

bottom of the anvil.

Any'leakage of compressed air past the upper packing to the top of the anvil block is vented to atmosphere through a pressure relief conmction 34, extending from the chambered upper portion 35, of the guide extension in which the flanged upper head portion 36, of the anvil operates.

This relief line 34 is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, connected with the exhaust outlet 58, of the differential valve 34', of the hammer. From this point, a flexible hose or other exhaust line 37, is led to the surface.

In this manner, the exhaust of the hammer is utilized to vent the anvil guide and to keep it free of seepage water and any pressure that might conflict with free action of the ram and anvil.

The liner 27, is shown shouldered at 38, for engagement by the flange 36, of the anvil to confine and limit downstroke and the upper end of the anvil is shown bevelled at 39, for engagement with the bevel shoulder 40, in the head 19, to limit upward movement of the anvil.

Radial grooves 41, are shown cut in the bevel stop shoulder to relieve pressure and prevent entrapment of fluid between the adjoining ends of the ram and anvil block.

Fig. 4 shows how the bevelled stop shoulder for the anvil block is cut through on the same diameter as the bore of the lower cylinder, to enable the ram to follow the anvil block for the full power stroke.

The construction described enables a regular compound therein, opening at the bottom to a vent passage 44, in

the ring or head 45, which carries the bevel stop shoulder 40, for the anvil.

This head is interposed between the end of the cylinder.

and the anvil guide extension 46. In this case, the lower extension head, such as shown at 24, in Fig. 1, is not Patented Sept. 22, 1959;;

necessary, the lower ends of the tie rods connecting directly with the guide extension.

The head member 45, is shown in Fig. 7, as grooved in the upper and lower sides at 47, for O-rings or other suitable packingsAS, Fig. 5.

The anvil block 49, as shown in Fig. 5 operates as a pistonwithin the guide 46, being provided with piston rings or other suitable water excluding packing 50.

The lower end of the anvil block guide is shown as having an inwardly extended annular flange 51, serving as a bottom stop for the block and in this case as a guide for the pile 52.

Fig. 5 shows the pressure relief connection 34, made to the relief passage 43, in the side of the cylinder and the pressure supply line 33, connected into an annular channel 53, in the anvil guide, just above th e'stop flange The air or other pressure fluid admitted in this-case below the. anvil, keeps the guide clear of water without retarding anvil movement to any appreciable extent and the relief connections as before vent seepage and any pressure accumulating to atmosphere.

Fig. 8 illustrates how the hammer may be modified to operate a chisel or other rock breaking or working tool by providing the anvil 54, with an extension stem 55, operating through a bearing 56, and carrying at the lower end the chisel point, bit or other tool 57.

Water is excluded from the bearing by air or other pressure fluid supplied by the pressure line 33, to an annular passage 68, surrounding the bearing sleeve and the latter having ports 59, opening to an annular space 60, about the stem.

[The relief connection 34, extends in this case from the chamber 61, in which the anvil operates.

. In the construction last described, the tool carrying stem is of smaller diameter than the anvil block, so that water may be excluded by air pressure alone, without need for packing.

. In all constructions, the anvil block and ram are kept free of water and any seepage or pressure which might interfere with operation of the hammer are vented to atmosphere. The fully rated striking energy of the hammer is utilized, since there is no cushion resistance except possibly a nominal and small back pressure present in the clearing of the anvil block and ram of water.

What is claimed is:

1. Underwater pile hammer, comprising in combination with cooperatively related cylinder, ram and anvil, guide cylinder means slidingly confining said anvil to said cylinder, means for keeping said anvil guide cylinder means free of water in which the hammer may be submerged including water expelling fluid pressure supply connections to said guide cylinder means, said hammer having an exhaust outlet and an exhaust line extending therefrom to above submerging water surface and said means for keeping said anvil guide cylinder means free of water including a pressure relief connection branched from said guide cylinder means into said exhaust connection and whereby the exhaust of the hammer is made effective for aiding in venting said anvil guide cylinder means. 7

; 2. Underwater pile hammer, comprising in combination with cooperatively related cylinder, ram and anvil, guide means slidingly confining said anvil to said cylinder, means for keeping said anvil guide means free of water in which the hammer may be submerged, said anvil guide means comprising a cylindrical extension of the main cylinder, the anvil having a piston portion operating in said cylindrical extension and said means for keeping said anvil guide means free of submerging water including packing for said piston, with a water excluding pressure connection extending'to said packing and a seepage vent 4 extending from said cylinder extension to above the submerging water level.

3. Underwater pile hammer, comprising in combination with cooperatively related cylinder, ram and anvil, guide means slidingly confining said anvil to said cylinder, means for keeping said anvil guide means free of water in which the hammer may be submerged, said anvil having a piston conformation, said guide means being an anvil containing cylinder extension of the main cylinder in which said piston conformation of the anvil operates and said means for keeping said guide means free of submerging water including a water excluding pressure supply 7 connection to, said piston conformation containing portion of said cylinder extension and a seepage vent extending therefrom to above water level.

4. Underwater pile hammer comprising the combination of main cylinder and ram, an extension cylinder at the end of said main cylinder, an anvil in line with said ram and operating as a piston in said extension cylinder, at pressure relief connection extending from said extension cylinder to atmosphere and a water expelling pressure supply connection extending to the piston portion containing part of said extension cylinder for excluding sub merging water therefrom and for facilitating discharge of seepage water through said relief connection.

5. Underwater pile hammer, comprising the combination of main cylinder and ram, an extension cylinder at the end of said main cylinder, an anvil in line with said ram and operating as a piston in said extension cylinder, a pressure relief connection extending from said extension cylinder to atmosphere, a water expelling pressure connection extending to the piston containing part of said extension cylinder for excluding submerging water therefrom and for facilitating discharge of seepage water through said relief connection, said main and extension cylinders being coextensive and having channels in the walls at the meeting ends of the same establishing continuous communication between said cylinders in the meeting relation of ram and anvil and said pressure relief connection being open to said channels.

6. Underwater pile hammer comprising the combina-v tion of main cylinder and ram, an extension cylinder at the end of said main cylinder, an anvil in line with said ram and operating as a piston in said extension cylinder, a pressure relief connection extending from said extension cylinder to atmosphere, a water expelling pressure connection extending to the piston containing part of said extension cylinder for excluding submerging water therefrom and for facilitating discharge of seepage water through said relief connection, said anvil having a bevelled end and said main cylinder having a bevelled stop shoulder for engagement by said end of the anvil and said stop shoulder having radial slots therein in communication with said pressure relief connection.

7. Underwater pile hammer comprising in combination with working cylinder, ram operating therein an anvil block opposed to said ram, a guide cylinder for said anvil block, upper and lower packing for said anvil block, a. spacer between said upper and lower packing, said spacer having passages open'to said anvil block between said upper and lower packing, means for applying fluid under pressure to said spacer and means for venting the space above the upper packing and between adjoining ends of the ram and anvil block to atmosphere.

8. Underwater pile hammer comprising the combine:- tion with working cylinder, ram operating therein an anvil block opposed to said ram, a guide cylinder for said anvil block, a stop head interposed between the end of said working cylinder and said guide cylinder and having a stop shoulder engageable by the anvil block, said stop head having pressure venting passages open to space between the opposing ends of the ram and anvil block, a pressure relief connection extending from said vent passages to atmosphere and a pressure supply connection extending to the anvil block containing portion of said guide cylinder.

9. Underwater pile hammer comprising the combination with a working cylinder, a ram operating therein an anvil block opposed to said ram, said anvil block having a downwardly projecting stem of less diameter than the block, a guide cylinder for said anvil block having a bearing for said stem, water excluding pressure connec- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hoff Oct. 11, 1910 

